T Ram Sewak

MOHA

After briefly describing the doctrine of karma, Lakshman explains the nuances of gyan yoga to Nishadraj in Shri Ramcharitmanas 2.92. He starts by elucidating the dualities of life.

"jog biyog .. manda .moha mool paramarath naahin."

"Union and separation, pleasure and pain, friends and foes, etc., are all snares of delusion. Even so, birth and death, prosperity and adversity, etc., are all illusions. Material possessions, family, heaven and hell, and all the phenomena of the world; nay, whatever is seen, heard or thought of with the mind has its root in moha (delusion): nothing exists in reality."

Lakshman starts by elucidating the dualities of life and underscoring that we take this physical and emotional realm to be true. Nothing except HIM is the absolute truth. For example, some beliefs considered 'truth' by a society may not be regarded the same by another. Continuing karma vaad, Lakshman says that our mind is camouflaged when we believe objects, people, etc. (circumstances) to be real. Then, a being cannot discover the divinity within and thus becomes a slave to the circumstances.

Our spiritual journey necessitates recognizing the truth of the indestructible soul (atma) as the essence of our being by transcending dehabhiman (identification with the physical body). However, this truth cannot be empirically experienced. The experiences of pleasure and pain in our lives, while practical truths, are not the absolute truth. As Shri Krishna clarifies in Gita 2.23, the soul is divine and unaffected by any material object. No one can bestow these experiences upon it; it is beyond the dualities of sukh and dukh, and no circumstance is inherently beneficial or detrimental to it. All we perceive as real, the world around us, the people in our lives, and our circumstances, are delusions born out of ignorance - the 'fetters of the mind'. On the spiritual path, we endeavour to realize this truth and reach HIM - the absolute truth. / DAILY WORLD /

Namami Ramam Musings-59

The author is a former electrical Engineer and resides in the Himalayas. He can be occasionally reached at ramam.namami@gmail.com